Novel psychoactive substance and other drug use by young adults in Western australia.

There is a lack of information regarding the use of novel psychoactive substances (NPS) in Western Australia. The aim of this study was to pilot-test an online survey to obtain data on the prevalence of NPS and other drug use by young Western Australians aged between 18 and 35 years. The Young Adult Drug and Alcohol Survey (YADAS) was a questionnaire deployed online for a period of six months. Participants were recruited via a combined targeted sampling and snowball methodology. There were 472 valid responses. Overall lifetime use of NPS was relatively high (17.6%), while use in the last year was lower (6.6%). These proportions were comparable to that of cocaine use. The most popular NPS were the synthetic cannabinoids. The proportions of respondents drinking alcohol at risky levels, mixing alcohol with energy drinks, and using pharmaceuticals such as ADHD medications for non-medical reasons were high. The YADAS is the first survey to ascertain the prevalence of use of numerous types of NPS in a large sample of young Western Australian adults. The utilization of an online survey methodology yielded valid results as compared to more intensive surveys, and enables researchers greater flexibility in being able to capture current trends.

Chronic disease and hospitalisation for pandemic (H1N1) 2009 influenza in Indigenous and non-Indigenous Western Australians.

Indigenous and non-indigenous Western Australians with pandemic (H1N1) 2009 influenza (pH1N1) infection were compared for risk factors, influenza vaccination history, symptoms, use of antiviral medications, and hospitalisation. Data were collected systematically on 856 notified cases with laboratory confirmed pH1N1 infection during the first 10 weeks of pH1N1 virus transmission in Western Australia in 2009. Indigenous people with pH1N1 were approximately 3 times more likely to be hospitalised and were more likely to have a range of underlying medical conditions and be smokers, compared with non-Indigenous cases. Age (P < 0.001) and the presence of two or more co-morbidities (P < 0.001) were independent predictors of hospitalisation, while Indigenous status was not, indicating that higher pH1N1 hospitalisation rates in Indigenous Australians during the 2009 winter season were attributable to the higher prevalence of underlying chronic disease. These results underscore the need to ensure that influenza vaccination is delivered as widely as possible among those with chronic health conditions.

Clinical decision support systems and computer-aided diagnosis in otology.

OBJECTIVES: We reviewed the progress of the implementation of expert diagnostic systems in the field of otology. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: We conducted a review of the literature at a research institute. RESULTS: The utilization of expert diagnostic systems in otology is very limited. Previous applications focused primarily upon the diagnosis of vertiginous disorders with the use of deterministic algorithms and, more recently, with adaptive algorithms such as neural networks. CONCLUSION: Expert systems provide greater diagnostic accuracy to physicians across a wide range of medical specialties. The success of such a system depends upon the strength of its reasoning algorithm, the validity of its knowledge base, and its ease of use. SIGNIFICANCE: There have been no attempts to develop an adaptive expert system for the full range of otological conditions. Such a tool may be of great use to physicians as a diagnostic aid and educational resource, particularly for those located in isolated sites.